Permission
by cavlik97
Summary: Ward asks each member of the team for permission to take Skye on a date. (Based off a tumblr prompt, set post 1x13 and 1x14)


prompt: _how about Ward asking FitzSimmons' approval if he can take Skye out on a date. After they say their answer, they ask him to ask May too. After May answers, she tells him to ask Coulson too. Then after that, finally he asks Skye._

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He supposes everyone's reactions were understandable. I mean, Skye has only just finished recovery from her bullet wound and everyone's protectiveness over her had rocketed to an all time high in the last couple of months.

They're on a fairly straightforward mission - just a run of the mill strange occurrence that had gone down in Boston and so the team had been sent in to investigate. Their previous mission had taken place in Australia so it's taking them a few hours to get back to the U.S.

Ward figures Skye must be in the lab with Fitzsimmons because that's always the number one place to look when searching for the hacker. The three youngest members of the team had bonded quickly and easily in the short team the team had been working together. But when Ward strolls into the lab, he only finds the two scientists. Fitz is uploading a 3D image that SHIELD HQ has sent over while Simmons sits on one of the stools, swinging her legs idly and humming quietly to herself.

'Hey Ward!' she says cheerfully when she notices him. Ward offers her a genuine smile in return. It was amazing, how swiftly the mood on the Bus would change depending on the circumstances.

After Skye's injury, everyone had been extremely dismal and withdrawn until Skye herself had gotten back on her feet after a couple of days in bed. She had been sorely unimpressed at the general demeanour on the plane and ordered everyone to snap out of it because she was alive and things were going to be okay.

In the weeks of her recovery, the mood brightened considerably and even Ward and May were seen smiling - which in the past had been an incredibly rare sighting.

'Where's Skye, do you know?' asks Ward, scanning the room for his rookie's laptop to see whether she might have just gone to the bathroom.

'I think she's with May,' informs Fitz. 'She had physio about an hour ago so I think she might be in the cockpit right now.'

Skye had been doing her physio with May, who understood how to naturally and healthily recuperate after serious injuries. May had also been giving Skye flying lessons in their downtime, which was something the whole team was surprised by, but glad to see. However, alongside the physio sessions, after a couple of week's rest Ward had helped Skye ease back into her training (due to her insistence), having his own recovery methods which he shared with her.

'Ward?' asks Simmons, breaking Ward out of his little dream-state. 'Didn't you want to talk to Skye?'

'Huh? Oh! Right, yeah.' Ward hesitates. In all honestly, he's not sure what he wants to talk to Skye about. He just feels like being in her company, which he hasn't been much since she'd been shot. Apart from their training sessions, he's been spending most of his time working on missions to forget how fatally injured she had been, leaving her in the company with the rest of the team. 'Guys,' he says slowly, trying to process an alarming idea that has suddenly popped into his head. 'Um…what would you say if I asked Skye out to dinner when we land in Boston?'

Simmons' eyes widen and get lets out a small squeal. 'Like on a date?' she demands excitedly.

'Maybe?' answers Ward, feeling the colour rise to his cheeks as he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. 'I dunno, it's just that - we haven't really hung out or anything since…well y'know.'

Fitz grins widely, folding his arms and smirking at Ward.

'Stop looking at me like that!' Ward mutters at him. He bites his bottom lip nervously. 'Would she say yes, d'you think?' he asks seriously.

'Definitely,' says Simmons enthusiastically, unable to wipe the beam off her face.

'What Simmons said,' agrees Fitz. 'Skye likes you - we see you two flirting all the time in training! What've you got to lose?'

_Everything_, Ward thinks but he stays quiet.

'One thing,' Simmons pipes up. 'No offense Ward, but you're not the best people-person. Skye has a huge heart and not that you don't, but you don't show it easily. Make sure you don't hurt her because she'll fall hard if you do.'

'And we'll exact revenge,' adds Fitz. 'Even if we can't take you on in a fight, we have a range of chemicals that you can't even pronounce.'

'Understood,' says Ward quickly. 'Clearly.'

'Well go on then!' Simmons insists, ushering Ward out of the lab. 'Catch her as she heads out of the cockpit - _go_!'

Ward clambers up the stairs quite ungracefully, stumbling into the living room and taking a moment to exhale loudly, composing himself. When the hell had he decided to _ask Skye out_?! All he was planning to do was spend some long overdue time with her.

Although that might qualify as a date.

'Having an existential crisis?' asks an amused voice and Ward glances up, startled to see May pouring herself a glass of water in the kitchen.

'Where's Skye?' he asks in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows.

'She went to go talk to Coulson about five minutes ago,' says May, shrugging.

'Dammit!' groans Ward. May just raises her eyebrow, pressing her lips together tightly.

'What's your beef?' she says, leaning against the wall.

Ward shifts his weight, suddenly unsure of what to say. This topic was a little less easy to discuss with May. Their…_history _made things complicated.

Except -

'You want to ask Skye out,' says May without a hint of surprise present on her face. 'Figures.'

Ward leans himself against the back of one of the couches. 'What do you think?' he asks and his voice tells them both that he is asking for her truthful, unbiased-as-possible opinion.

'I think it's a good idea,' says May softly. 'For you both.' She sighs. 'Despite how well she seems to be doing in recovery, I can tell she's still shaken. When I get injured in a mission, I shut myself down from everyone else and that isn't something I want her doing. Plus, she misses you.'

Ward lets out a relieved laugh. 'Oh thank god. I just thought -'

'After what happened between us, it would make things difficult,' finishes May. 'I know. But we ended it because we had to, which you're only further proving right now.'

Ward grins bashfully. 'So I have your approval?'

'Just don't hurt her. She's been tossed around by people who haven't really cared about her throughout her life. She needs someone to properly prove that she's cared for and loved here.'

Ward nods. 'I know.'

He heads to Coulson's office and doesn't even complain when he discovers Skye isn't there. It's as if some invisible rope is tugging her away every time he gets close.

'You okay Ward?' Coulson asks from his desk.

'Yeah, fine,' Ward murmurs, disheartened. Then, he pauses.

Coulson is as good as Skye's father - the only real one she ever seems to have had. If he's going to ask anyone permission to take her on a date…

'Can I take Skye to dinner when we land in Boston?' he blurts out, the words rushing past his lips without a second thought.

Coulson's jaw drops ever so lightly but his eyes twinkle with a hint of a smile. 'You're asking permission?' he asks, almost teasingly.

Ward wants to indignantly deny it then but he decides against it. 'Yes sir,' he says honestly.

Coulson really does smile then.

'Don't hurt her,' he warns.

'Never,' promises Ward before backing out of the office and attempting to locate his rookie.

He does find her eventually - how she had been managing to skillfully evade his searching was beyond him and unfortunately, he only catches up to her just as the plane lands and they're about to go the incident site.

'I heard you've been looking for me?' she says. 'What's up?'

'It's nothing,' Ward says instinctively, inwardly groaning. He thinks he notices her shoulders sag a little and Fitzsimmons glare behind them and May and Coulson look extremely surprised but nobody says anything.

When the mission goes spiraling away from the run of the mill and the entire team is taking shelter from rattling gunfire behind an old barn, protected by the brick wall in front of them as they wait for SHIELD reinforcements - only then does Ward ask.

The bullets casings are flying everywhere, bullets hitting the wall one after another and the sound of gunfire is so loud that Ward can't even hear himself breathe.

'What happened to this being an easy mission?' May yells angrily, reloading her gun and firing a couple of rounds at their assailants.

'Skye!' Ward says but she doesn't hear him. He calls her name louder this time and she glances over.

'Are you okay?' he shouts anxiously, knowing that the last time she was in the field with gun shots around her…

'I think so!' she yells back but still shuffles towards him.

'Can you do me a favour?' he asks, trying as hard as he can not to sound aggressive with all the shouting. She sends him a look that says _oh_?

'Go to dinner with me tonight!'

At first, she looks stunned but then, a smile breaks onto her face and although her can't hear it, he watches her laugh.

Suddenly, the raging gunfire disappears.

'Reinforcements are here,' announces Coulson, stealing a glance around the wall.

'Will you?' asks Ward, ignoring their team leader. Fitzsimmons, May and Coulson suddenly become aware of the exchange going on in front of them.

'Yes,' says Skye, grinning widely. She winks. 'Pick me up at eight.'

Ward rolls his eyes. 'Skye, we're on the same plane.'

'Ooh, cheeky Ward.'

'How was that even - ?'

'Implications.'

'_What_?!'

May looks over at Coulson, meeting his eyes with a smirk.

'He's not going to hurt her,' she says confidently. 'He's too in love with her for that. Even if he doesn't realise it yet.'

'I don't think she realises how much she loves him. I doubt she even felt that way about Mile,' Coulson says, nodding in agreement. 'She's not gonna hurt him either.'

_fin._

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a/n: favs and follows are fab but reviews make my day! x stay strong after 1x13 aos fandom!


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